Following on from the success of her leading role in Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Irish actress Jessie Buckley looks set to take on the leading role in Alex Garland’s next feature film for A24.
Men, Garland’s next project, will see Buckley feature alongside Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game, Skyfall, Quantum of Solace) and follows a young woman who goes on a solo vacation to the English countryside after the death of her ex-husband.
A recent double-IFTA winner, Buckley most recently starred in Fargo on FX, alongside Chris Rock and Jason Schwartzman, and will star in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, in which she will star alongside Olivia Colman.
According to Deadline, the sought after role was offered to Buckley last year when Garland met with her, while Kinnear was tapped soon after. Though the project is said to be all but confirmed, US outlet are reporting that the final details of Buckley and Kinnear’s deal are yet to be finalised, though they are progressing positively.
Leading the project as both writer and director, Men will mark Garland’s first time directing since his Paramount Thriller Annihilation back in 2018, and comes off the back of his highly acclaimed FX limited series Devs, which aired last year.
Men also mark Garland’s return to A24, the studio with which he launched his career when writing and releasing Ex Machina in 2014.
The film will be financed and distributed by A24, with Garland’s producing partner, Scott Rudin, returning as producer alongside Eli Bush, and Andrew MacDonald and Allon Reich from DNA.